For a while Rich Ray was asked to add a feature button "Man overboard" in its applications. Recently, following a new topic on the website macsailing.net forum, he motivated his refusal for the following reasons :
- Such a button would take up limited/valuable screen real-estate on every screen..
- Such a button , with expected behavior, come in violation of " Developer Program License Agreement " :
- 3.3.8 For Applications that use location-based APIs, such Applications may not be designed or marketed for automatic or autonmous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management; or emergency or life saving purposes. Translation : Concernant les applications utilisant les API basées sur la localisation, ces applications ne doivent pas être conçues ou commercialisées pour le contrôle automatique ou autonome des véhicules, avions, ou tout autre appareil mécanique; la gestion d’envoi ou de flotte; ou dans un but d’urgence ou de sauvegarde de la vie humaine.
An emails exchange between us allowed him to find a compromise respecting the rules imposed by Apple.
With iPhone
With iNavX 3.2.9, a tap on position icon (So the instantaneous position) opens a popup menu allowing to create a waypoint automatically located (Latitude/Longitude) at boat position.
Creation of the boat position waypoint
Two successive taps on the waypoint can activate the GoTo :
Activation of the waypoint
Therefore 5 successive taps to activate the waypoint can materialize the position of a man overboard. This is not ideal, but it is always better than nothing.
With iPad
The method is much faster : a tap on position icon opens the contextual menu, select GoTo creates a waypoint at location automatically activated.
Two taps on iPad to mark the position as active waypoint
Apart from the man overboard, this feature also allows to create a route from successive waypoints, each created "passing by", to be used as return route. Or to mark anchorage place used and recognized as secure, a fishing location particularly abundant, etc,…
NOTE
If position icon is not present on the screen, two successive taps on the "Chart" button in the lower banner place position icon centered on the screen.
Francis,
It m'excuse, the meaning of my first response was not very clear.
I think the point of having a function to save a flash point with a simple push (and not 5 successive taps) is essential : Score a fish for a fisherman,one falling for a diver, the crossing of two bitter etc. …. The uses are many.
Finally this function is useful for more uses than the marking of a man overboard.
I understand that Apple can not take responsibility for validating an application dedicated to a possible rescue operation. But I do not think Apple is opposed to the establishment of a button for recording the instantaneous position. A button to be called MS (Save position) and non-MOB.
Sorry again for the first approximate answer, and I really wish that one day on the iNavX pssibilité of such a function (Iphone's screen leaves room for such a small button !!)
The limits of the MOB…
The effectiveness of the "MOB" function, man overboard suppose two essential conditions are met:
the alarm is triggered at the instant of the fall of the man overboard and drift due to the current and wind limited to a low value: for example a return to base in half an hour in an area with a current of a node puts us at best half a mile from wreck. If the conditions are very good visibility and calm seas in the strict sense of the term, you can see it. Because it is necessary to find the point where the wreck and not the one where it was 10 minutes, 1/4h,1h…earlier.
For my part, I think that only the castaway tracking systems based on automatic triggering and the search for a transmitting beacon by "homing" such as the deceased Wavefinder or by sending a GPS or AIS signal, give a reasonable chance to find the unlucky, especially short-handed.
This is obviously more expensive, bulkier…but really effective!
Alain
Absolutely agree, Alain. AIS staff seems very promising in this regard. See § The future of the AIS in this article.
At Apple we do not laugh with the "Developer Program License Agreement". It would be unfortunate if the application is banned, just for this non-compliance.
Now the function exists by not bearing the name "man overboard" and respecting the contract with Apple, So everything is perfect.
Thank you for addressing this lack of iNavX.
The excuse is completely bogus recommendations Apple ! Indeed, what is important is not the name of the function (Man Overboard) but the function itself.
This feature exists on all marine GPS, and do not necessarily used to find a man overboard, but to record an instantaneous position of a simple push. The uses of such a function are multiple .
It remains a real lack of iNavX well as Navionics …
I hope that the developers will not be satisfied with this "compromise" ….!!
Your decision is wrong. The Developer Program License Agreement Apple is not a recommendation, but a legal document that developers are required to sign and comply. Failure to comply with any of its clauses causes the immediate withdrawal of the application.
Keep in mind that the iPhone is a consumer device, téléphone-ordinateur-balladeur, by no means a dedicated device designed for sea or air. You Apple, developers do not want to risk legal liability due to the use of built-in functions beyond recreational use of the device.
Americans are known to be particularly litigious, Apple could soon collapse under user complaints.
You're absolutely right, and you can also buy a dedicated GPS marine for a few dollars, Waterproof and resistant, which will be placed on the bridge in an easily accessible.